This is partly a marketing exercise – what are you offering, what is the home wanting.

Some homes will need convincing of the value of your work – read our 7 Headlines.

For some, there will be sticking points. Your task is to be accommodating. eg no piano? we’ll bring a keyboard. For typical sticking points and suggested answers see this page from our Toolkit for Care Homes.

Either the activities coordinator or the home’s manager might want detailed evidence of the value of singing. It’s all in our literature review.

Before you sing, sing

Getting the staff on your side is crucial to the success of your work.

Try to ensure at least they understand and value what you’re doing, at best supporting it and taking part.

Hunt the musicians: most care homes are likely to have at least one worker who sings in some form or another. You’ll gain much by building the confidence of those workers and others about their singing in general, and their abilities to lead in particular.